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München / Munich to Zagreb by train
How to travel from München/Munich to Zagreb by train
When travelling by train from München/Munich to Zagreb you can travel during the day on of Europe's most stunning railway journeys, or if the timings don't suit there's also an overnight train available.
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Routes
Option 1: travelling on this beautiful journey by day
Journey Summary
8hr 35min (approx)*
Daily
Travel Information
What had been the direct daytime train between München / Munich and Zagreb has been suspended until further notice.
An EC train still leaves München / Munich in the early afternoon, but it no longer has coaches which travel on to Zagreb, a change of train is required in Villach
The earlier Railjet train to Villach, still has a 10 minute connection in Villach with a train on to Zagreb.
So ShowMeTheJourney is assuming that these connections will be guaranteed, as it will be fairly pointless for the trains on to Zagreb to depart on time, if the trains from München / Munich are running late.
The connection in Villach should be arranged, so that it's a simple as can be cross platform transfer between trains.
2 x connections per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date
Book 1st class ticket journey tickets on DB Bahn and your seat reservation is included, but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets.
Rail Pass Users:
The reservation rules are different when using a rail pass to travel to Croatia by these trains.
Rail pass users must make reservations prior to boarding, irrespective if you will be using a 1st or 2nd class pass.
Travelling from Munchen Ost station:
When making a booking online on DB Bahn, it uses ‘Munich (München)’ as a default for looking up journeys from the city in the ‘From’ box.
But it is possible to select München Ost as the ‘From’ station (you need to use the German spelling with the character (the umlaut) over the ‘u’).
You won’t save any money by booking from München Ost, but the departure time of your train from Munchen Ost will be on your ticket.
Booking agents, when looking up Munchen to Zagreb journeys, will see that the fastest journey from Munchen is from Munchen Ost - so can assume that this is where you want to join the train.
If you're using an agent confirm whether your ticket has been booked from Munchen Hbf or Munchen Ost - particularly if you DO want to join the train at Munchen Hbf.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB Bahn | from €45 approx |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination Klagenfurt
This train which will will typically depart from München Hbf at around 08:00 is a Railjet and the train which departs at around 11:30 is an EC train.
The Railjet train does not call at München Ost but the EC train also departs from there, usually at around 11:45.
After the train has departed from Salzburg this is a fantastic journey, but the best of the views, particularly after Bad Gastein, are from the right of the train, when facing the direction of travel.
This can be a journey where travelling 1st class can pay off, as you'll have more freedom to move from one side of the train to the other, to make the most of the trip.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Vinkovci or Zagreb
The earlier connection train will typically arrive in Zagreb between 17:00 and 17:15, the later train will arrive there at around 20:45.
After departure from Villach the train travels through the wonderful Sava River gorge
Option 2: taking an overnight train
Journey Summary
9hr 1min
Nightly
Travel Information
This train, which is named the 'Lisinki' is scheduled to depart from Munchen Ost and not from the city's main station at 23:54 and it schedule to arrive in Zagreb Glavni Kolod. station at 08:36.
It now commences its journey in Stuttgart Hbf at 20:59 and also calls in Ulm and Augsburg.
If you wake early there are some wonderful views of The Sava River valley gorge, as the train heads towards Croatia.
Though as the landscape this train will be travelling through is spectacular for pretty much the entire journey, we highly recommend travelling this route on the daytime train.
1 x train per night
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
This train is provided by Croatian Railways (HZ) and is named 'Lizinski'.
It comprises:
- Compartment Seats
- Couchettes; 4 berths AND 6 berths
- Standard sleeping cars with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
Click the train button above for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:
Using rail passes:
Rail pass users must reserve before boarding this train.
If you want to reserve seats, berths in couchettes or beds in the sleeping cabins before you arrive in Germany, the best option is to pay a booking fee and use the Eurail or InterRail reservation services.
Or you can avoid the booking fees by arranging the reservations when you arrive in Germany, by purchasing them at a Reisezentrum travel desk, which you will find in any hauptbahnhof.
Though it's best to do this at the first hauptbahnhof (city centre station) that you will arrive at, the later you leave booking your accommodation, the more likely it is that your preferences will be sold out.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
At Munchen Hbf station, on the departure screens, you may only see a train leaving at 23:34 that's heading to Budapest if you do, that info will also be for this train.
The coaches heading to Zagreb are joined to the train heading to Budapest on departure from Munchen Hbf.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
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See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
